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Help:Using article templates
While the definition of a wiki is a site with which all have equal access to contribute or modify content, there are some times where a more conforming approach is helpful. A standardized look, with firm guidelines about style but not content, will often help a reader find the information needed more quickly. This is usually done according to category. For example, most episode entries for The Twilight Zone in have similar sections, headings, and sidebars. For this purpose, we have created a series of "article templates" that will assist writers in standardizing new articles for specific subjects. What is an article template? An article "template" is a guide provided to help you, as a contributor to this wiki, craft a thorough and well-defined article that corresponds with others in its category. Things like episodes, comics, characters, themes, and locations might all be possible candidates for use. Why do I see template in quotes? This is because the article "templates" function differently than other types of templates. Whereas typical templates tend to work as tools within an article, helping to automate the writing process, article "templates" are simply guides to what contents might best fit into an article and where they belong. When should I use an article template? These "templates" have been created primarily for the organization of articles that cover a relatively high degree of information. The articles in this category will typically be those about episodes of the show, or other stories, that cover a broad span of details. These sorts of articles are also assisted by the application of "templates" in identifying them as part of a larger series of articles dealing with the same general subject. Articles about comics stories, for example, looking a certain way will create a familiar appearance, easily recognizable as being a comic story article from visiting others in the series. When should I not use an article template? If you are attempting to create a new page using a template, but find that a large amount of entries for that template are left blank, "unknown," or "not applicable," it may be better to write the article without its help instead. Please do look over its outline, though, and use your best judgment in finding your own way. How do I use a template? The article "templates" are not templates in the traditional sense. Think of them more as forms that provide a framework of areas of interest concerning the article subject. These can be copied and pasted into any blank article editor and then filled out, replacing the description found in the HTML element with the actual relevant information on the subject. You should know that it is not important to fill in every section provided by the "template" if that information is not known. The article "templates" will typically include as many of the possible important areas of interest as possible in an attempt to be thorough, but it is not necessary to keep them all. You can choose to either leave a section in the article without information, for a later editor to expand, or simply omit the section and remove it. Any necessary additional instructions will be provided on the "article template's" page. What if I cannot find an article template for my article? In this case, you can try to look at the other articles in the same category or subject and see what areas of interest seem to be present in all of them. Then, try to write the article yourself! Don't be too concerned about messing up and if you run into trouble along the way, try the , the Help desk, or contact an apprentice narrator for help. If things go well, think about making your "article template" available for all of us! See also * * A Fifth Dimension:Article templates Category:Help